Velocipede



April 16, 1940. J. w. GALLQ 2.197.658

VELO C IPEDE Filed Dec. 5; 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Apr. 16, 1940VELOCIPEDE John W. Gallo, Mineola, N. Y., assignor of onehalf to LouisH. Segel, Everett, Mass.

Application December 5, 1938, Serial No. 245,055

3 Claims. (Cl. 280--7.10) a.

My invention relates to velocipedes and it has for its object to providean improved convertible velocipede of the type shown and described in myU. S. Letters Patent No. 2,011,402, granted August 13, 1935, which canbe used either as a bicycle or a tricycle.

To these ends my invention consists of a velocipede of the classdescribed having the features of construction and mode of operation setforth in the following description, the several novel features of theinvention being separately pointed out and defined in the claims at theclose thereof.

In the accompanying drawings-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of myimproved velocipede.

Figure 2 shows the rear end portion of the velocipede illustrated inFig. 1, as viewed in plan.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

T'he embodiment of my invention herein illustrated comprises a mainframe l0 whose forward end is constructed with a socket l i within whichis rotatably mounted a shank l2 of a front fork it. The shank l2 of thefork I3 is provided at its upper end with a head Ml equipped with a pairof handle bars l5. A relatively large front wheel it has its axle. lljournaled in bearings at the lower ends of the arms of the fork l3. Thisaxle is provided with crank pedals i8 by means of which the user propelsthe vehicle over the ground.

Intermediate its ends the main frame lil is provided with a seat 19 forthe rider.

3 So far as above described the construction is as usual.

The rear end portion of the main frame H3 is made with a rearwardlyextending fork 20, each arm of which is itself forked as at 2!. Eachfork 2i includes as an integral part thereof an axle 22 on which isrotatably mounted a rear side wheel 23.

The inner arms of the forks 2! are straight and parallel with respect toeach other and with respect to the vertical median plane of thestructure. These two inner arms of the forks 2! are spaced-apart toprovide a space between them for an intermediate wheel 2&- which isdisposed midway between the wheels 23 and within said 50 vertical medianplane. The intermediate wheel M is loosely mounted on a short axle 25 toeach end of which is fixed the outer end of a stem 21 which istelescopically and slidaloly mounted within the straight inner arm ofone of the forks 55 2t. As will be clear the short axle 25, togetherwith the stems 21, constitutes a yoke and the stems 21 of this yoke areslidably mounted within the straight inner arms 2| of the forks 2!.

The opposite end portions of the short axle 25 occupy eyes provided atthe rear ends of two 5 rod sections 3i, Fig. 2, which form parts of aconnecting rod 32 whose forward end is pivotally connected with thelower end of a lever 33.

The forward ends of the tubular fork members 20 of the frame areconnected with the rear 10 end of a single tubular frame section 34whose arcuate and formed with three notches 31, said arcuate lower edgebeing concentric with the fulcrum or pivot 35 of lever 33.

The lever 33 is made tubular and has slidably mounted within it alock-bar 38 provided at its upper end with" a handpiece 39 between whichand the upper end of lever 33 is arranged a coiled spring 90 by means ofwhich the lock-bar is yieldingly urged upwardly. At its lower end thelock-bar 38 is made with a laterally projecting extension 4!, Fig. 3,which occupies a slot 42 formed in the side wall of the tubular lever 33at the lower end thereof, the side walls of said slot 42 engaging theextension 4! to hold the lock-bar 38, at all times, against rotatingwithin the lever.

Within each straight arm 2i is arranged 2/ coiled spring 43, one edge ofwhich bears against an abutment pin 44 extending through its arm and theother end of which abuts the stem 21 which is mounted within the lowerportion of said arm. These springs 43 are under compression and it will,therefore, be clear that when lever 33 is swung on its pivot or fulcrum35 in one direction the springs 43 will slide the yoke 25--2l downwardlyand when said lever is swung 45 on its pivot or fulcrum in the oppositedirection it will act through the connecting rod 32 to pull the yoke25--21 upwardly into the arms 2|.

Normally, however, the lock-bar 38 through the engagement of itsextension 4| with one or the other of the notches 31, serves to hold theyoke 25-2'| against movement relatively to the frame.

When the extension 4! of the lock-bar 38 oocupies the foremost notch 31the connecting rod structure 32 maintains the intermediate wheel 24position above the ground and the rider desires to transfer the supportfor the frame of the velocipede from the side wheels 23 to theintermediate wheel 24 he pushes downwardly on the hand-piece 39 todisengage extension 4! from the rack or plate 36 and forcibly swingslever 33 forwardly to the desired extent, the removal of hand pressurefrom hand-piece 3d permitting the spring 4&3 to reengage the extension Mwith the rack plate 36 so as to secure the intermediate wheel 26 in itslower operative position. It will also be clear that by releasing lever33 and swinging the same in the opposite direction the intermediatewheel E l can be adjusted upwardly and set either in its intermediateposition or in its uppermost inoperative position.

The forward section 34 of the frame is a length of steel tubing whoseforward end is welded to the socket l I while its rear end is fittedinto and welded to a coupling member or fitting 45. The

rms or tines of the fork 25! are lengths of steel tubing whose forwardends are fitted and welded within the coupling 65. From the coupling 45the arms of the fork 2E diverge rearwardly for a portion of theirlengths and are then bent so that the rear end portions 2| thereof areparallel. These parallel rear end portions 2| are threaded through holesprovided in a downwardly bowed rear end frame section 46 which is also alength of steel tubing. At the joints where the tines or arms of fork 20pass through the section 46 the parts are integrated by welding orotherwise as shown in Fig. 2. 22 extends through apertures provided nearthe extremity of one of the arms of section 46 and has its inner endwelded to the adjacent tine or arm of fork Eli and said axle bar is alsowelded to the arm of section 46.

What I claim is:

l. A convertible velocipede of the character described comprising aframe; a dirigible front wheel mounted on said frame; a pair of sidewheels mounted on said frame; a third wheel disposed between said sidewheels and mounted on said frame with provision for movement to- Eachaxle bar ward and from the ground; a tubular lever fulcrumed on saidframe adjacent to the forward end thereof; means connecting said leverwith said third wheel through which adjustment of said lever on itsfulcrum moves said third wheel toward and from the ground; alever-docking member slidably mounted within said tubular lever; aspring normally urging said member in one direction so as to hold thesame in interlocked relationship with said frame, said member beingmanually operable to free said lever, and means on said frame with whichsaid member is engageable to lock said lever in different angularpositions.

2. A convertible velocipede of the character described comprising aframe made at its rear end with a pair of parallel tubular arms; adirigible front wheel mounted on said frame; a pair of side wheelsmounted on the rear end of said frame; a third wheel disposed midwaybetween said side wheels; a yoke made with a pair of parallel. stemsslidably mounted within said arms, said yoke rotatably supporting saidintermediate wheel; springs within said tubular arms for yieldinglyurging said stems longitudinally; a lever fulorumed on said frameadjacent to the forward end thereof; means connecting said lever withsaid yoke through which adjustment of said lever on its fulcrum in onedirection shifts said yoke and intermediate wheel on the frame away fromthe ground and against the pressure of said springs and through whichadjustment of said lever on its fulcrum in its opposite directionpermits said springs to shift said yoke and intermediate wheel on saidframe to-- ward the ground, and means for holding said lever in itsdifferent adjusted positions.

3. In a convertible velocipede of the character described thecombination of a frame comprising a tubular section made at its forwardend with a socket for the shank of the fork of a front wheel; a tubularwheel-adjusting lever fulcrumed on said tubular section so as to swingon. a horizontal axis; a spring-pressed lock-bar slidably mounted withinsaid lever made at its lower end with a laterally projecting extensionoccupying a longitudinal slot formed in said lever, and a metal platebelow said tubular section and integrally united edgewise with thelatter and said socket and having a lower edge portion formed with aseries of notches cooperating with said extensionv to secure said leverin different angular positions relatively to said frame.

JOHN W. GALLO.

